1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an apparatus for the continuous sterilization of foodstuffs disposed in containers of horizontal construction, having chambers for heating, sterilizing and cooling, the chambers being separated from each other by separating doors movable up and down.
2. Description of the Related Art
Such an apparatus is known from CH-PS 406,810 which although also of the horizontally constructed type a transport of cans through the apparatus is not possible, a pressure compensation is not present, since water jet transport is used and therein the same water must always be employed and a construction referred to therein as pressure compensation cannot fulfill its purpose. Also, in this known case a vacuum is employed and the sterilizing medium would be sucked out on implementation. Thus, if this known apparatus were implemented it would in any case only be suitable for sterilizing containers of thin aluminium sheet or plastic sheet.
In a known apparatus of vertical construction (DE-AS 1,617,987) the corresponding steam pressure is obtained in separate columns by hydrostatic water pressure and the operation is carried out several times. However, water and water vapour or steam have different heat transfer coefficients. This reduces the reliability of the apparatus and is more complicated from the technical point of view. Moreover, when the foodstuffs pass through vertical columns the pressure is continuously varied in complete dependence upon the water column height.